London: British police investigating the disappearance of a five-year-old girl in Wales charged a family friend Saturday with her murder although her body has still not been found. Mark Bridger,46,was charged with the abduction and murder of April Jones and with perverting the course of justice,Dyfed Powys police and the Crown Prosecution Service said. He would appear in court on Monday.

France: 1 dead,10 held in anti-terrorism sweep

PARIS: Police carried out raids across France on Saturday after DNA on a grenade that exploded last month at a kosher grocery store led them to a suspected jihadist cell of young Frenchmen recently converted to Islam. The man whose DNA was identified,named by police as Jeremy Sydney,was killed by police after he opened fire on them. Ten other suspects,aged between 19 and 25,were arrested across the country on Saturday.

Gilani leaves Pak Presidents house

Islamabad: Former Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani,who had been residing in the presidency since his ouster in July,has gone back to his hometown Multan,amid reports that he was unhappy with the removal of some top bureaucrats he had appointed during his tenure. I remained Prime Minister for about four-and-half years and stayed in the presidency for over three months and I thank President Zardari for that, he said.

12,000 striking miners fired in South Africa

JOHANNESBURG: The worlds top platinum producer fired 12,000 workers who refused to return to work on Friday,apparently an attempt by the company to stem the tide of strikes that have shaken South Africas mining industry and unsettled Africas biggest economy. About 75,000 miners are believed to be on strike,representing nearly a fifth of the industrys work force.

Rebellion will be crushed: Syria minister

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BEIRUT: Syrias defence minister said the rebellion against President Bashar Assad’s regime will be crushed. Gen. Fahd Jassem al-Freij told state-run Syrian TV on Saturday that violence in the country will end soon,as troops are determined to bring back stability. Al-Freij rarely makes public statements. His remarks came as Syrian troops launched a major offensive to retake rebel-held areas in the northern city of Aleppo and the central city of Homs.